Confronting prejudice The who, what, and why of confrontation effectiveness
Gulker, J.E.; Mark, A.Y.; Monteith, M.J.
Social Influence 8(4): 280-293
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 1553-4510
DOI: 10.1080/15534510.2012.736879
Accession: 036714630
Following a task that ostensibly revealed implicit racism or sexism, participants were confronted about their bias. The confronter's race and gender were manipulated to test whether group membership (whether one is part of the group experiencing prejudice) determined confrontation effectiveness. showed that the confrontation of racism met with greater acceptance when performed by a White than a Black confronter, indicating that group membership drives confrontation impact. Further, tests of two possible mediational accounts showed mediation by perceptions of the Black confronter as a complainer. Participants trivialized the confrontation concerning sexism, underscoring the need to strengthen social norms against sexism. Implications for engaging in confrontation are discussed.